The Forgotten
by wingeddserpent
Summary: This story is now Promised Hell. To read it, please go read that. This story is now discontinued.
1. One Last Chance and Scared

**The Forgotten**

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Author's Note: Thanks to my buddies who helped with idea inventory. And don't ask what I was thinking because I don't know. **UPDATE:** This is the new and improved version! I did some fixing, tell me whatcha think!

Prologue: One Last Chance

**Silence whispered**

_Screams echoed in the night_

**There was no sound**

_The shrieks of the dying filled the air_

**Not even breath could be heard**

_Agonizingly loud and anguished_

**No wood creaked with age**

_Fire roared around the forest_

**The velvet muffled even the flies**

_The sea crashed on the beach_

**But even the flies were scared of this place**

_The foam was red with blood_

**A 27 year old man slept in a coffin**

_A ten year old girl stood on the beach_

**But he wasn't alone**

_Alone_

**He was never alone**

_Just as she always was these days_

**Always got what he deserved**

_Never got what she needed_

**That's what he thought**

_That's what she didn't know_

What the forgotten never know is that they are the most important in some cases.

Most cases.

This case.

Here begins the story of two people who had long been forgotten by almost everyone, themselves included. And got mixed up in a cause far too noble for anyone as

_**Immoral**_

as they were. But what can one do, when salvation is so freely offered, but grasp the hand and hope for

_**One Last Chance**_

Chapter One: Scared

Yuffie raised an eyebrow as the newcomer occupied the only shadowed corner in the inn. Talk about _creepy_. Who _wore_ cloaks like that, anyway? All ripped up, and red… and… yuck! He looked up, and the only thought that ran through her head was, _Omigosh his eyes are RED_. "Like blood…" she murmured, entranced at the color that no _natural _human could possibly have.

He looked at her, said eyes darkening, "Is there something you need?" he asked, deep voice cold as the brittle ice you got after casting Ice 3.

The thin girl shook her head, and he noted her eyes were large, and grey. A bright grey, with flecks of green that matched her oversized turtleneck. "Nope, why would ya think that?" she asked, cocking her to the side in simple curiosity.

"You have been staring at me for the last five minutes," he answered simply, and she couldn't help but notice his lips were thin, and a dark red. Maybe he used lipstick…

The girl suddenly broke into a fit of giggles, and his gaze followed the choppily cut raven hair, which danced as she laughed merrily, and freely. "Do you wear makeup?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, pale face twitching slightly, into what she could only guess was a look of disgust.

"Ehm… I mean… we haven't met before… I'm Yuffie… Gast," she replied quickly, a blush staining her tan cheeks.

Yuffie raised an eyebrow as he gave an involuntary twitch, that caused his obsidian hair to cover his face. "Vincent Valentine. Pleased to meet you."

Grinning, Yuffie questioned the man some more, "So… gun man, I'm guessing? Or do ya just maul stuff with that awesome shiny glove?"

His eye twitched, she swore it did, and his frown lines were even more apparent. "Gunslinger," he murmured, obviously disliking the direction the forced conversation was headed.

"So yah any good?" her face was completely blank and he knew she was either innocent beyond belief, or she was just more perverted than she looked.

"How old are you?" Vincent demanded suddenly.

"Sixteen next month," she declared proudly, as if being sixteen was some fantastic feat.

That settled it. She was innocent beyond belief. "I see."

"Don't you wanna know what kind of weapon I use?" she asked looking crestfallen.

"…"

"I use a shruiken," Yuffie told Vincent, holding the enormous weapon up.

Vincent attempted to keep his face as stony as possible. Trying to keep the doubt and amusement that she could use such a weapon away from his face. Considering he had been a Turk, it wasn't that hard.

"Ya know…" she said thoughtfully, "Tifa thinks you're a vampire. And Aerith is sure you're a saint, what with the red eyes and all. But I don't think that."

"I am not any of those things," Vincent answered softly.

"I just SAID I didn't think you were! Aren't you listening?" she asked, putting the hand that wasn't covered in the bulky armguard on her hip.

"Then what do you think I am?"

"Well… most likely you're some insane guy who poked himself one too many times in the eye. BUT I'd rather think you are… a demon of some sort," she grinned wickedly, "That's what Leviathan says about red eyes. I've always wanted to meet one actually. Supposedly they're damn sexy…"

Vincent's eyes widened, and he grabbed her arm with his arm that wasn't a claw. "Don't speak like that, Miss Gast. Demons are prone to granting wishes, but not in ways you'd enjoy. Don't tempt them. And don't speak of this again."

Yuffie pushed his arm off with a look of utter defiance, her pointed chin held high. "Hey buddy. Don't touch me. You can't tell me what to do, and I wouldn't listen to ya even if ya could! Besides, what makes you the almighty expert in demonology?"

"You'll just have to trust me, Miss-"

"Yuffie. And trust has to be earned, Vince. Anyway, I need some sleep. Goo' night," and with those parting words, the young ninja walked out of the area.

"Goo?"

"It's her way of saying good night…" a brunette stepped in the room from an adjoining one. "How are you holding out, Vincent?"

Red eyes poured into bright green ones, and he sighed. "I'm not a martyr, Aerith. I'm a sinner, here to repent for his past sins."

Vincent blinked as she started giggling. "Half of our sins are imagined, and half of our repenting become sins later. So, it's kind of a vicious cycle. Besides, if you _were_ a sinner, you'd be helping Sephiroth… Not us. By the way, Vincent. You might want to reclaim your wallet from Yuffie."

And with a smirk, the woman in the pink dress walked out, leaving Vincent to search for his wallet, which was indeed gone. He groaned in frustration. The last thing he wanted was to have any more contact with Dr. Gast's daughter. And the fact she was so interested in demons… that made him want to stay away even more. Maybe she _knew_. Maybe she had read her father's studies? Found a copy of Lucrecia's notes… Or even worse… What if she had his file? He shuddered. He'd get his wallet back in the morning. Besides, she needed her sleep. That's why he wasn't going to get his wallet back yet. He wasn't _scared _or anything. Because the dead are never afraid.

Author's Note: Well there ya go. Hoped you liked it. Don't forget to review, and tell me whatcha think of the revisions. I did a lot of formatting, and just general fixing of stuff that I think makes it flow a lot better. Thanks so much for bearing with me!


	2. Babysitting

**The Forgotten**

Chapter Two: Babysitting

Vincent couldn't believe they had pulled him out of his coffin for THIS. The illustrious leader, the blonde one, had informed him that he Aerith, and… Yuffie were to be traveling together. Of course they would put him on babysitting duty. The dark gunman sighed, well, at least he could get his wallet back this way. He looked up as a small hand shook his shoulder. He turned around, expecting to see one of the women. Instead his blood eyes fell on deep blue ones. "Yes?"

"Vincent, I woke Aerith up for you, but… you need to get Yuffie up…" he scratched the back of his pointed hair sheepishly.

Vincent simply arched an eyebrow, giving a nod to say he would. The sword wielder stood, looking relieved. "We'll be ready to leave in about an hour… Will you be up to it?"

He nodded once more, and stood, red cape billowing around him. "I will go wake up Miss. Gast…" he stated in his deep voice.

He stepped into Yuffie's tent, and crouched next to her, "Yuffie, you must wake up. We are ready to go to Rocket Town…"

Yuffie groaned, "Go 'way, Yuffie sleepy."

"Yuffie must wake up."

"No. Go 'way and bother Tifa," snarled the petite girl, pulling the pillow over her face.

"Yuffie… the others will have eaten all the breakfast if you don't awaken…" Vincent told her.

Yuffie sat up, a hand going up to wipe the sleep from her grey eyes, as she grabbed a brush to comb out the knots from her cropped midnight hair. "This displeases Yuffie," she informed him sleepily, as she continued brushing her hair.

"…"

"Aren't you gonna leave so Yuffie can change?" she asked bluntly.

Vincent felt his cheeks color, and stood hastily, praying his cape covered his face. He walked out of the tent like there were rockets tied to his shoes. And into a crowd of gaping people. "…?" his eyebrow raised, and he was sure his face colored a shade or two darker.

"You… you… You life saver!" Tifa, a brunette woman with wine colored eyes was suddenly hugging him. "No one has ever gotten her to wake up without sustaining any sort of injury! What's your secret?"

"…"

"Oh COME on! Please?" the other brunette had stepped forward, bright green eyes pleading.

"…I simply informed her it was time to wake up…"

"You must be a Yuffie tamer! I knew Cloud picked right when he said you should travel with Yuffie and Aerith in case you had lost your touch…" Tifa informed him grinning.

Vincent felt shocked as the revelation hit him. He wasn't babysitting the girls, THEY were babysitting HIM. "My touch?"

"Well… we weren't sure if you could possibly have as good aim after being in a coffin 30 years, so we figured we should send our main materia user and one of our best fighters…" Aerith explained.

Vincent looked at Aerith with a raised eyebrow. "What weapon do you use?"

"Staff. But I'm better with materia…" she told him, holding up an almost mastered Restore.

He blinked, then gave a shrug. "Did you get your wallet back from Yuffie?" asked Aerith innocently.

"Speak of the devil…" muttered Cloud, blue eyes pointed at the flap of Yuffie's tent, where the teen now stood, blinking at the sudden light.

"Mmph. Where's the grub Vincey mentioned?" she asked rubbing her eye.

With bemused glances, they pointed at the pancakes Tifa had made. Yuffie grabbed one, and ate it quickly, drinking water from her canteen. "Yuffie… Might I have my wallet back?" Vincent asked holding out his arm.

Yuffie's eyes went wide. "You wost youw wawwet?" she had apparently never learned that it wasn't polite to talk through a mouthful of food.

"Yes."

"Haven't seen it," Yuffie told him shrugging.

Cloud grabbed her by the shoulder as she attempted to walk past him, and pulled a wallet out of her pocket. "This yours?"

Vincent nodded, taking it. Yuffie looked hurt as she swallowed her food, "You musta dropped it sometime last night…"

Sure that's what must have happened, he simply nodded again, and began to gather his few belongings. "Don't lie, Yuffs. You were the one who stole over 1,000 gil from us in the forest, making us spend about three hours chasing you," Tifa reprimanded her, "Which… you only gave us about 500 gil or so back… You little thief, you!"

Yuffie just smirked, sticking her tongue out. "SO? I had to use the money for potions, because you guys kept beating me up!"

"Because you kept attacking us!" Aerith butted in.

Pouting, Yuffie grabbed her backpack, and turned to an amused Vincent. "Thief?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

She gulped, and said softly, "More like wealth distributor…"

"I see," she swore his lips twitched, "However, if you try to… 'distribute' my wealth… You will likely regret it…"

Yuffie shot him a smile. "Okie dokie, Vincey."

This caused laughter to ring around the camp that they had taken down during their conversation. "Let's mosey!" Cloud ordered, as they split into their groups and began to move towards Rocket Town.

Vincent sighed, as they weaved through the Nibelheim Mountains. With Cloud, Tifa and who they called Nanaki, carving their way through the mountains first, there really weren't that many monsters to fight. In fact, the first one they had seen, Yuffie had thrown her shruiken twice, Aerith had cast Ice 2 once, and the monster was dead, making the former Turk feel completely useless.

Aerith and Yuffie were about ten feet ahead of him, talking excitedly, Aerith talked with her hands a lot, he noted, while Yuffie put more effort into how she held her body and what tones she used. If he didn't all ready know she was at least half Midgarian, he would have sworn she was completely Wutainese. She looked and, mostly, acted it at least.

However, with the two of them conversing about what he couldn't even fathom, if left Vincent in relative silence. Not that he minded, actually he enjoyed it. It just wasn't helping him feel any more useful, because he couldn't even help carry on a CONVERSATION for Pete's sake. The gunman sighed, realizing he had clenched his claw in frustration.

Vincent looked up suddenly, as he saw movement. There were two grasshopper looking monsters, poised to jump on the two. He pulled his gun smoothly from its holster, and took quick aim. With precise accuracy, he fired, once twice. The gun shots rang through the air, and would have frightened song birds, had any lived in the cursed mountains.

Yuffie and Aerith both jumped when the shots were heard, and they whirled around, and saw the two dead monsters. "Vincent! I told Cloud you would do fine without being watched… but NO. Apparently florists don't know ANYTHING about that sorta thing," Aerith said smiling at him.

Yuffie nodded, "Nice shot…s, Vince," she told him as she pulled the possessions of the dead monsters.

Nodding, to show he heard their praise, he continued on his way. The two young ladies burst into fits of giggles as he turned. "Hey Vincey, you saved our lives." Yuffie told him.

"That means you get… a present!" Aerith giggled.

"Wanna know what it is?"

Vincent didn't deign to stop walking. Perhaps if he kept walking, they would steer away from this… odd subject.

"Aw, c'mon you spoilsport! Everyone has been be initiated!" whined Yuffie.

"They even initiated me! And I was an original addition to the group!" Aerith snickered.

Yuffie had pulled out her PHS, and called Cloud. "Hey Cloud. Vincey just saved Aerith and I, he's one of us." Cloud apparently answered because Yuffie said, "Ok, we'll see you soon. And please don't forget the tutu or the whipped cream… Hmmm… I'm thinking strawberry would look good with his complexion… Or maybe the grape… Nah, the watermelon. Ohh! Yah! Definitely the gummy bears!"

Twitch. Twitch. With each word, he couldn't help wonder what the hell he'd agreed to. He was just hoping it wasn't another

_**Regret**_

to add to his list.

The forgotten always seem to regret every bad thing in the world. Even when it isn't their fault. I suppose

_**Regrets**_

Are just a way of life for them. I wonder what it's like to live that way?

Author's Note: Ok, I am having major ideas for this story, and I have come to the conclusion Cloud and Aerith are going to be and important part of this story, so next chapter will be about them. Most likely, not making any promises. Thank you for the awesome people who reviewed. And as for you people who read without reviewing, keep this in mind: The more reviews I get, the more I feel I should update. The more I feel I should update, the faster you get the next chapter. So read AND review. Oh, and if you see any mistakes, please tell me, I don't have anyone proof reading except for myself so… there are bound to be mistakes.


	3. Initiation?

The Forgotten

Prologue Part II: Lost and Found

Author's Note: Mostly a Cloud and Aerith chapter! For those of you freaking out about this, don't worry! It's still mainly a Yuffentine! Thanks to my buddies for helping!

**The limp form was placed on the stretcher**

_Footsteps echoed in the night_

**Along with one of his only friends**

_Ragged breathing filled the air_

**Blood seeped from a bad wound in the stomach**

_Frantic eyes searched for any forthcoming escape_

**A glass prison**

_Prayers tore from terrified lips_

**Green glow**

_There had to be a way out_

**The needles poked him unmercifully**

_She wasn't going back_

**And a blonde with dreams was slowly being lost**

_And a Cetra decided she was never going back_

**Forgotten**

_She wished she could just be Forgotten_

**No one had really cared anyway**

_But they cared too much_

**He had always known that**

_They wouldn't let her just live_

**He knew that.**

_She knew that now._

Two different types of forgotten, those who are forgotten and those who wish to be. Either way, what they really want is to be

_**Found**_

This is the story of two people, who were found, but then got

_**Lost**_

again. The fairness of life, eh?

Chapter 3: Initiation?

A sigh escaped the blonde's thin lips, as they continued to weave through the mountains. He was getting fed up with all of this. He should have remembered these mountains. He should have known them like the back of his hand, for goodness sake, but it was as if he'd NEVER been here before. Cloud closed his glowing blue eyes, resisting the urge to rub his temples. This shouldn't bother him. He hadn't been here for about… five years.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, he thought bitterly, that's all it comes down to, five years ago. That's what everything was about. Life would have been so much simpler, if there weren't those huge… holes in his memory. How was he alive? Shouldn't he be dead? He shook his head, and turned to Tifa, who was looking at him in concern, wine colored eyes wide. "Vincent's one of us. We have to get his initiation already, Tifa; do you still have the Manipulate Materia?"

The brunette's face instantly went from concern to smug anticipation, "Yeah. Yuffie nearly broke it after her initiation, but I still got it. Still have the giant gummy bears?"

"Yeah. Had to hide them from Aerith… She almost ate about ten of them… But I managed to stop her…" Cloud told her.

"Good. This'll be fun…" Tifa smirked, before motioning him and Nanaki onward.

Meanwhile, about a mile behind, Aerith looked at Yuffie giggling. "You still have the whipped cream… and other stuff… right?" Aerith asked, in a stage whisper, just loud enough for the sullen Vincent behind them to hear.

Yuffie nodded, "I sure do. Still have the tutu?"

"Yup," grinned Aerith, "Nanaki still has the headdress too…"

"So where's the initiation gonna be?" Yuffie asked, a smirk adorning her face.

"There are a lot of plains near Rocket Town… We'll probably do it there…"

"Do I not get a say in this?" Vincent couldn't help but cut into their conversation. He was tired of this. He hadn't agreed to come for this 'initiation' thing. He just wanted to kill Hojo, to repent for the sins, which were the reasons for the growls, and snarls that shook his head, and he suddenly froze.

They would not let him go with them, after they found out about Galian Beast. He would be an unnecessary danger to them. What had he been thinking? He should have stayed in his coffin. At least he couldn't hurt anyone there. That settled it: Vincent Valentine was going back to his coffin. "I cannot do this. I am going back." With crimson eyes downcast, the gunslinger turned to leave.

Yuffie whirled around at him, black hair falling into her face. "Aw, c'mon, it's not that bad. They initiated me, and I came out perfectly ae-oh-kae, you'll do just fine."

Raven hair moved side to side as Vincent shook his head, and told her in his deep voice, "It is not that. I simply… should not be here. Cannot be here."

Grey eyes narrowed. "So let me get this straight, you gave your word to come, and now you aren't. I see. Well fine, I don't care. Get out of here, and taking your lying, promise-breaking face with you!" Yuffie turned on her heel and continued to walk away, totally unfazed.

The man in the red cape looked pleadingly at the woman in pink, who simply sighed. "Yuffie is Yuffie. You can't change it, and you get to the point where you don't want to…" Aerith shrugged. "Please come with us, we need your help. The past doesn't matter, not to us anyway. We've all done bad things. You should just leave the past, in the past. Where it belongs."

"Some things cannot remain in the past," he told her bitterly. He realized he was in a bit of a dilemma. He could go with them, get revenge, but he might end up hurting or even killing them. On the other hand, he could go back to the coffin, where no one would get hurt, he could repent in peace, but by breaking his promise, it was yet another sin. He sighed. "I will accompany you on your journey…," he said in defeat.

Suddenly the indignant teenager became the joyful and chirpy Yuffie; and Vincent couldn't help but wonder if maybe she had been less upset than she had made out. He shook his head. If it was one thing Vincent would never understand, it was the ever-changing moods of those not quite children, and not quite adults. Aerith was watching him in amusement. "Confused yet?"

He looked up at her in surprise. "…?" he knew he probably seemed rude, aloof and cold. However, he also knew that he was who he was. And he only said what needed to be said. No more, no less.

"Yuffie is a bit of a handful when you first meet her," she elaborated quietly. "Her moods change faster than you can keep track. You get used to it," the brunette shrugged lightly.

He nodded to show he understood, as Aerith smiled at him with a warmth that surprised him. "It's not that bad, you'll see. Once you get past a few…" she paused for a second, "eccentricities, it can be fun."

Somehow, she could tell he doubted it and sighed as he walked ahead of her, leaving the Cetra to ponder. There was something about Vincent. Just something. Something dark, and secretive. Something he didn't want brought into the light. "The problem with secrets is they tend to be found out…," she murmured quietly.

Aerith knew he wasn't a vampire as Tifa joked. But he seemed like something… more than a person. But less than the Planet. Last time she had felt that feeling was at the shrine of some saint. She knew she _wanted_ to believe he was some sort of saint, however she knew what she wanted to believe and what actually was could be two very different things. Aerith toyed with the idea of Saint Valentine, and shrugged. She would find out eventually. Only question was: Would she like the answer?

Cloud and the rest of the party were waiting for Aerith's group as they came to one of the plains around Rocket Town. "We'll set up the fire, and then we'll start," Cloud said, eyes sweeping around at all of them.

Twenty minutes later, they had enough wood for a fire, and enough to keep it going for most of the night. "Vincent," asked Cloud seriously, "Are you ready?"

In answer, Yuffie pushed him into the circle that had formed. "He's ready, isn't he?" she put her large hands on her hips, glowering at him.

Vincent sighed, but nodded. "I first wish to say, that I was not informed of this beforehand and I express my deepest indignance."

The were muffled chuckles, snickers, and giggles from the circle, as Barret Wallace, a huge, dark skinned man, with a gun for an arm came forward, and said in a deep voice, "Vincent, I'll be takin' your cape, unless you want it ruined…" Vincent glared at him wordlessly, and Barret shrugged, going back to his spot in the circle. "Can't say I didn't warn ya!"

Cloud hid a grin. "Vincent Valentine, do you wish to be part of AVALANCHE?"

"…" he said plainly.

"That means: HELL YES," Yuffie translated.

"Do you agree to allow yourself to be initiated, so you will be truly, 'one of the group' or do you wish to take back… er what you uh… said previously?" snickered the blonde.

"…"

"That means: Yes I do agree to allow myself to be initiated, Cloud. When do we start, and what must I do?" a certain ninja added.

Blue eyes danced in mirth. "You don't have to do anything, except lay down and relax…"

Cloud's voice was fading, as numbness set itself into Vincent's brain. And suddenly, he knew no more, and suddenly his eyes were burning. He sat up in a tent, blinking his eyes against the light of morning. He groaned slightly, and pulled himself out of the tent, to see Aerith keeping watch. "Good morning, Vincent. How are you feeling?"

He gulped, and realized he ached. In addition, he couldn't remember last night. What if he had…? "What happened?"

"You'll see. Don't worry though, nothing too bad happened, and we're sure you'll recover from the mental scars once you see the other tapes."

"…Tapes?"

"Your initiation, silly. We taped it. It wasn't too bad either, you should have seen what Tifa made Yuffie do," Aerith shook her head in amusement, and noticed his raised eyebrow. "We do this because on rainy days, it's too dangerous to go anywhere, so we camp out at the nearest inn and watch the initiation tapes. It makes for a funny afternoon."

"…I'm sure," Vincent said dryly. He honestly didn't care about the stupid tape. He was just glad he hadn't lost control and killed everyone.

"Although… I must say… you look quite strange in a tutu…" she told him, grinning slyly.

Vincent decided he didn't want there to be a rainy day ever, ever again.

Just shows that there are some things you just don't want to

_**Know.**_

And there are other things you have the

_**Answers**_

To but you wish you didn't. The wise person knows which is which.


	4. A Monster in Disguise

**The Forgotten**

Chapter Four: A Monster in Disguise

Disclaimer: If I owned anything you recognize, I wouldn't need a disclaimer, now would I? I thought not.

Author's Note: Some of you may notice I tweaked the format of the story a bit, this is because I didn't like it anymore, but hopefully, you won't even notice. Thanks to my buddies for helping in this chapter, and remember to review.

"Rise and shine, everyone. I want to get to Rocket Town by noon," Cloud's voice rang through the small camp.

They had picked a nice spot to camp the night before, on the plains near Rocket Town. The ground was firm, and grass covered. The grass had been coated in dew from the night before, and it was just the right amount of dew. Enough to make the world smell clean, but not enough to cause one to easily slip. The only thing that could go wrong really, was if it started to rain. There weren't enough trees to act as coverage.

In the camp, there were five tents. Cloud and Barret shared the big red tent. Cait Sith and Red XIII shared the medium sized blue tent. In the medium sized yellow tent were Tifa and Aerith. The medium sized purple tent was Vincent's, and Yuffie got a small green tent to herself. And no, perverts, the people sharing tents didn't do anything of that nature, so stop with the smirking.

There were muffled groans from the tents as almost everyone began to get ready. Rustles and/or quiet murmurings could be heard from every tent except for one. The smallest tent at the edge of camp. The blonde heaved a sigh, and walked toward the green tent carefully, "Yuffie?"

"Uck. What?" the slightly high-pitched voice was groggy with sleep.

"Get up. Get dressed. Then get breakfast," the leader ordered.

There was a sound of movement, Cloud ducked reflexively as the flap was unzipped, and a small, yellow tennis shoe went flying at where his head had been seconds before. With it laces flapping and waving in all directions, the poor shoe was stopped mid flight by someone's head, and it fell to the ground with a 'thump'. Turning around to see whom it had hit, Cloud winced as he saw Vincent picking up the shoe in distaste.

The gunman walked over, scowling at Yuffie's tent, and he entered her sleeping area, zipping up the tent behind him. Quiet murmurings could be heard, and a second later, red eyes emotionless, he came back out. Vincent was closely followed by a subdued ninja, whose grey eyes were downcast. "…Yuffie-" he glared at her.

"I apologize for my actions. They were immature and rude," said the teenager dully.

The newly awaken group exchanged glances and most hid smiles. "Er…" the sword wielder blinked, "Thanks, Yuffie."

She glared at him, hands on her hips. "Well? Where's breakfast? What happened to 'I want to be in Rocket Town by noon yadda yadda yadda ya,' huh?"

Cloud hid a smirk, as he led her to the food he had made. They took turns cooking for the most part, to keep things fair, and whenever he cooked in the mornings, it was oatmeal. Actually, most of the time it was oatmeal, because almost no one could cook anything else. Even if they had been better cooks, there would have been nothing better to cook anyway… Therefore, they ate a lot of oatmeal.

Fifteen minutes later, having eaten their shares of oatmeal, the group was ready to head out. Back in leader mode, Cloud began breaking the group into parties (small groups of no more than three people or robots or feline/canine animal things), "Aerith and Barret with me. Red XIII and Cait Sith. Yuffie, Tifa and Vin-"

A certain ninja cut him off. "Nuh-uh. You are not sticking me with Mr. Tall-Pale-And-Sc-Creepy again. Ever since, we met him two or three day ago, you've stuck me with him. Shouldn't he be in your group anyway? What if he's some rapist, or a monster in disguise?" said Yuffie in one breathe, not looking at Vincent.

"Yuffie!" Tifa snapped.

"That's rude," Aerith said sternly.

Cloud glanced at Vincent, and on the face of the mostly emotionless man, he could have sworn he saw flickers of regret and amusement in the eyes. Eyes that were far too old, for a face so… young. "Well…" he appeared to think about it, "Barret and Vincen-"

"No way! You always hog Aerith! She's coming with Tifa and me!"

"But-"

"Shut up! No buts! She's coming with us, or my name's not Yuffie Gast!"

"But-"

"Aw, give it uh rest, Spikey. Can't you tell the girls want 'girl time' or whatever the hell it is they call it?" Barret spoke up.

"I…uh… But-"

"Are you trying to tell me my name's _not_ Yuffie Gast?" demanded Yuffie.

"Fine, fine," Cloud sighed, finally capitulating and managing to get more than one word in edgewise, "Vincent and Barret with me. Cait Sith and Red XIII. Yuffie, Tifa, and… Aerith."

"Don't worry, dear bodyguard!" the flower girl said cheerfully, "I'll be fine, it will be just like yesterday!"

Yuffie, Barret, and Cait Sith all snickered as the youngest of them smirked, "Get a room you two."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "I see no room for them to use for… ahem, recreational purposes."

"So they should get a tent. Same thing, for the most part," Yuffie shrugged.

"We don't have time for that! Let's move out," said Barret.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed blushing, "Let's mosey."

There were long suffering sighs from many of the group. "You'd think he'd learn how to say something more… bad ass…" someone murmured. "Let's mosey? What the hell us that anyway…" The three parties moved out, or moseyed, their separate ways towards Rocket Town.

Cloud, Barret, and Vincent had taken the longest, and hardest route to the town. Taking different paths was one of Cloud's newer ideas. He figured it fulfilled three things. 1. It kept them from attracting too much notice (it's easier to spot one group of nine people, than three groups of two or three people). 2. they got rid of monsters that could kill a less prepared traveler. 3. it gave them more practice at fighting things. And more practice they got. The way to Rocket Town was full of monsters. Little mushroom monsters that came in packs of five called Battery Caps, large dragon/frog enemies called Velcher Tusks, and mouth creatures with two legs, called Baba Velamyues. It wasn't an easy path, and because of it, the three of them were battered. It was also because Barret had the Restore Materia, and he wasn't exactly known for his adeptness with magic or materia. As they fought another dragon monster, Cloud panted out, "We need to rest and heal."

Barret nodded in agreement, grimly shooting the creature, "Whatcha think, Vince?"

There wasn't an answer, and Cloud said, "Vince?"

"Get away," Vincent's voice was choked, "Get away from- me!" the words turned from gasped out sentences, to a roar.

Barret and Cloud froze, that hadn't been the monster they were fighting. "What the-" Cloud turned and nearly dropped his sword in horror and shock.

"Fuck no. Vince, that you?" the other man asked the… monster(?) that was where Vincent had been a second before.

"**No. Galian Beast. Valentine sleeping. He be back soon. Me kill,"** the growl came from the monster, which looked like a huge, purple, horned dog.

Barret raised his gun at 'Galian Beast', "You won't kill us!"

The dog-like monster just blinked at him with round, golden eyes, and seemed to sigh. **"Not kill you. Kill enemy. Valentine not let me kill 'teammates,' or I not get to feed."**

"I-I see. Carry… on," the blonde had finally spoken up.

Monstrous purple lips appeared to form a cruel smile, and he lunged at the 'enemy'. The battle lasted two seconds, and Galian Beast stood over the body. As the two men made to go get the items and money off of the corpse, they stopped. The beast was eating the body. Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but Barret shook his head. "He can have it," he whispered to the leader.

"**Valentine come back now. I miss you," **and suddenly, the caped gunman was back.

"Vincent?" Cloud walked over to the slumped figure, "Are you back?"

"I apologize. I never should have come. Did he hurt anyone?" Vincent's voice was tense, and full of exhaustion.

"All he did was kill the monster," the former SOLIDER said.

"What the hell, man. Why?" Barret couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"Galian Beast is a demon," the pale man said softly, "He sometimes manages to get out. I never should have come," Vincent made to leave, but Cloud put a hand on his shoulder.

"We still need you," he said simply, "and you made a promise to help."

"I could kill any one of you, at any time!"

"We can protect ourselves. Please, Vincent. If you hurt anyone, you can leave. No questions asked. Agreed?"

Vincent thought about it, "There are more demons, they just cannot get out yet…" Cloud just looked at him, he sighed, "I will come for now. Everyone will be informed of my condition, and everyone will have Tranquilizers or the equivalent at all times. Agreed?"

"Fine by me, now let's mosey."

Cloud's mind was racing. A demon in their group? What was the world coming to? And how did Vincent get demons in his head, anyway? Was he born that way? Or was Vincent himself a demon? If he was… then Yuffie was right!

He sighed. Something needed to be done about the thief, or 'wealth-distributor'. He didn't know why he put up with the little ninja, but if she didn't stop stealing from every shop, town, and traveler they came across, the whole group was going to get in trouble.

Yuffie Gast. The name sounded so familiar. Hadn't Doctor Gast been the Head of the Science Department before Hojo. There had to be a connection there. He'd ask her about it, after her lecture.

Exactly one minute after noon, Cloud's party entered Rocket Town, only to find they were the last group there. "You're late," giggled Aerith, golden bracelets jingling as she brought a hand to her mouth.

"What happened to 'be there by noon', oh mighty leader?" Yuffie asked sarcastically.

The blonde simply sighed. "We had- have a slight problem," the group raised their eyebrows:I think Vincent should be the one to tell you…"

The man….demon…thing in question said, "I have four demons in my head. One of which can get out. Please keep Seal Materia or Tranquilizers nearby at all times."

Yuffie blinked, "So you're a demon?"

"…Yes…"

"I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Ha! In your faces!"

End Chapter 4

Author's Note: Ok, I had a bit of fun with irony this chapter, in case you couldn't tell. Anyway, next chapter should be up soon, and we get to meet Cid, and the questions behind Yuffie's last name are finally answered, I think. I'm prone to changing these things. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I tend to update faster with more reviews… hint hint nudge nudge By the way, if you see in mistakes, please tell me! I try to keep it as mistake free as possible, but I am not perfect. See ya soonish!


	5. Preview of Rewrite

Promised Hell

Promised Hell

Prologue: Part One

By: Wingeddserpent

Disclaimer: I own nothing, save the plot.

Author's Note: All right, this is just a preview. This story, previously the Forgotten, has been renamed, to Promised Hell, and almost completely rewritten, because it started going a different way than I thought it was… A lot different, so I just rewrote it, and this is the first part of the prologue, just so you guys know why this story isn't being updated… You can start expecting chapters sometime in the near future… Probably when I have more time to write, and when I can find a beta reader… (If you're interested, shoot me a tell, please?) So enjoy this preview, and yes, it's short. Review if you like!

* * *

As any self-respecting, Leviathan-worshipping Wutain will say, one can go three places when they die. The first place is known as the Lifestream; four out of five people will return to the Planet and join with the Lifestream. That is where those who have done nothing exceptional in terms of Good or Bad deeds will go after their Life has ended.

Rarer are those who do not end up in the Lifestream. The ones who were truly Evil and had almost no redeeming features in Life will go to Hell. Similar to the Lifestream, Hell is the breakdown of consciousness; however, Hell is an emergence into Sin. By Sinning in Life that is all that greets one in Death. Punishment for a Life ill spent is a Death where one cannot escape it.

There are those who do not go to Hell, or rejoin with the Lifestream as well. The truly Good people will go to the Promised Land, the Land of Supreme Happiness. Though it is said that only the Cetra can go to the Promised Land, any truly Good person can end up there.

The self-respecting Wutain will then go on to say, each person is judged by Leviathan when they Pass On. Each Sin and Good deed is weighed upon the Scales of Leviathan. Should the Scales be Balanced, the person will join with the Lifestream once more. Should they be Tipped towards Sin the person shall be damned to Hell; and should they be Tipped towards Good, the person is granted entrance to the Promised Land.

"So be good, and Leviathan willing, we will all meet again in the Promised Land."


End file.
